EP. 58 Sweat Saves Blood

Allen West, LTC Army Retired and Former Congressman, has lived his entire life in the service of this nation.  Allen's father and brother had served, and his mother worked supporting the United States Marine Corps- He knew he was going into the "Family Business".  Allen grew up hearing stories about his father’s service during WWII and how people came together to stand against incredible odds.  Understanding that serving one’s nation is not only a privilege but a duty, has been a guiding principle throughout his life.  Allen was the first officer in his family, which allowed him to gain a different perspective on Leadership and serving in airborne units further solidified the importance of leading from the front and taking care of your people.  He also talks about the incredible examples of Leadership he was able to observe and how much of that wisdom shaped his Leadership style.  These Leaders taught Allen the importance of training hard and maintaining standards- Because this will ultimately translate to saving lives.  Once in combat, Allen shares that you discover what it takes to Lead with confidence and be able to prepare your Team for the unexpected.   After his time in the Army, Allen took those lessons learned in uniform with him, when he went to go serve in the House of Representatives.  Serving in Congress was a different environment from the military but one that Allen was determined to do his best in.  Despite political headwinds, Allen says that keeping one's integrity, even at personal sacrifice, was a non-negotiable.  Allen continues to encourage Veterans to serve in public office, simply because of their mindset.  Focus on mission, putting others before oneself and working as a Team to accomplish something are all attributes that make Veterans incredible public servants.  Whether it's helping small businesses communicate better with their employees or developing new policy, serving others is the core principle of Leadership.  Allen believes there's no such thing a small issues and that helping your community one issue at a time can make all the difference.  This session is full of war stories, Leader lessons and stories about Service.